The Belgian has admitted that his conditioning and quality was lacking during his first few weeks at the Santiago Bernabeu after moving from Chelsea
Eden Hazard has accepted full responsibility for being overweight and out of form when he arrived at Real Madrid this summer.
The 28-year-old attacker completed an £88 million ($114m) switch to the Spanish capital from Chelsea on June 7, bringing the curtain down on a trophy-laden seven-year spell in the Premier League.
Madrid endured a difficult 2018-19 campaign after selling Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus, with Hazard expected to come in and fill the sizeable void left at the Santiago Bernabeu by a five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
Unfortunately for the Belgian, he failed to hit the ground running in his new surroundings, with questions asked of his quality and fitness after five matches without a goal or assist at the start of the Liga season.
Hazard finally broke his duck in a 4-2 home victory over Granada on October 5, but that strike remains his only goal in the famous white shirt to date.
The former Chelsea talisman has now opened up on his recent struggles, confessing that he was carrying an extra 5kg in weight when he touched down in Madrid.
“It’s true,” Hazard told L’Equipe. “I’m not going to hide it, but when I’m on vacation, I’m on vacation.
“I had put on five kilos, I’m the type to put on quickly and lose so quickly if I’m careful.
“When I was 18, in Lille, I was 72 or 73 kg. Muscle mass was 75 kg, on a bad day, 77 kg. I was 80 kg this summer, I lost it in 10 days.”
The Belgium international added on a tough first two months at the Bernabeu: “I was not good, simply. I said to myself ‘start playing well’.
“The first two months, in what I was proposing, it was not enough.
“I thought, I can do better, I’ve felt better for a month now. I dribble, I accelerate and I try to make others play well.
“I do not do everything right but I try The first two months, I said to myself ‘you’re new, be simple’. Too many passes, people waited for me to dribble.”
Hazard built up some much-needed confidence while away with Belgium over the international break, scoring twice in a 4-1 win away to Russia on November 16, before also starring in a 6-1 rout of Cyprus three days later.
The mercurial winger will be back in contention for a place in Zinedine Zidane’s starting XI when Madrid host Real Sociedad in La Liga this Saturday.
The Blancos will then look ahead to a crucial Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain at the Bernabeu on Tuesday, where a win or a draw will see them safely through to the last 16.
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